BLT pasta

Name: BLT pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 300 g elicoidali rigati, or try penne; 77 g pack Cooks’ Ingredients Diced Pancetta; 1 sprig/s rosemary, finely chopped; 145 g tub red chilli & tomato pesto; 90 g pack wild rocket; 25 g parmesan, Grana Padano or pecorino, finely grated, to serve

Adapt the all time great sandwich and put your bacon, lettuce (well, rocket leaves) and tomato through a pan of pasta shapes instead.

5 out of 5 stars(4) Rate this recipe

Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare5 mins
Cook15 mins
Total time20 mins

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300g elicoidali rigati, or try penne
2 x 77g pack Cooks’ Ingredients Diced Pancetta
1 sprig/s rosemary, finely chopped
145g tub red chilli & tomato pesto
90g pack wild rocket
25g parmesan, Grana Padano or pecorino, finely grated, to serve

Cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water according to pack instructions. Drain and return to the pan.
Meanwhile, fry the pancetta and rosemary in a frying pan for 3-4 minutes until crisp and golden. Tip into the pan of drained pasta, spooning away any excess fat if needed.
Stir in the pesto and rocket, then divide between 4 shallow bowls. Top with black pepper and the cheese and serve.

Cook’s tip

When preparing this recipe on the Dish podcast, Angela Hartnett makes her own sauce rather than using pesto. She adds 3 garlic cloves, a small onion and a thinly chopped red chilli to a pan with olive oil and cooks on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft. She then adds a tin of plum tomatoes and cooks the sauce for 35-45 minutes on a low heat.

If you like the ideas in this recipe but don’t eat meat, prawns are a great substitute. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and sizzle a pack or 2 of raw prawns with the rosemary until pink, opaque and cooked through. Add the pesto and carry on.

And to drink...

This recipe is paired with Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz on episode 12, season 7 of Dish, the Waitrose podcast. This Australian red combines modern winemaking with pristine fruit from a cool-climate vineyard, giving it amazing depth and flavour.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe